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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · drill · arm · rash · snap · rush · degree · hand

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. hand — help
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — temperature
  10. snap — to click
  11. rush — hurry
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — in cards
  20. drill — army training
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com