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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. plane — a tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kick — in football
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rush — hurry
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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