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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: fine · hand · degree · staff · fall · temple · track · saw

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fine — all right
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. staff — a stick
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hand — in cards
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fine — high quality
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — to keep track
  17. staff — employees
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. hand — help
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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