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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mark — a trace
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — of ice
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cap — a hat
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mark — a grade
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — in the ear

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