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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to sink
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ball — a dance
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a great time
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — a thrill

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