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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. sharp — clever
  3. drill — army training
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. face — part of the head
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — to confront
  11. net — for catching
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bound — certain
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bound — tied together
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mate — a partner

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