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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: drill · temple · degree · jam · rash · track · rest · hand

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. track — a path
  3. degree — temperature
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. drill — the tool
  6. track — a song
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — army training
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rest — a break
  13. degree — from a university
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rest — what's left
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — hasty
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rash — a series
  24. hand — help

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