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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: roll · degree · temple · sharp · present · scale · tear · cabinet

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. present — a gift
  3. degree — an amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. roll — a cake
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tear — to rip
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — in music
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. scale — size or range
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — temperature
  24. scale — for weighing

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