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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. degree — from a university
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mark — a trace
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. capital — a city
  10. mark — a grade
  11. present — there
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. degree — temperature
  14. plane — a tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. capital — money

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