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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: degree · kid · dip · kick · temple · land · craft · scale

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — to sink
  3. degree — temperature
  4. land — a country
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. degree — an amount
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. land — ground
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kick — in football
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. craft — a skill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kid — child
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. craft — boats
  24. kick — a thrill

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