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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. roll — a list
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. staff — employees
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. degree — temperature
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. roll — a cake

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