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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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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: snap · degree · wind · sharp · nail · cue · temple · content

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — from a university
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to click
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cue — a hint
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cue — for pool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cue — a signal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. content — the amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — happy
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wind — to turn a key

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