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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fine — all right
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. degree — from a university
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ruler — a monarch

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