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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 120 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: rush · deal · board · degree · nail · ground · can · temple

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. degree — an amount
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ground — crushed
  10. board — to get on
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. deal — to handle
  13. can — to be able to
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ground — a position
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. deal — an agreement

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