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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.

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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: sharp · degree · fall · rush · current · temple · mine · kick

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fall — the season
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. current — of water
  6. rush — hurry
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. current — electric
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kick — in football
  18. fall — to drop
  19. sharp — clever
  20. current — happening now
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. sharp — with an edge

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