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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: rush · tear · nail · snap · deal · degree · track · suit

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. degree — an amount
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. suit — clothes
  11. tear — to rip
  12. snap — to click
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. suit — in cards
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. suit — to fit
  24. deal — to handle

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