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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. degree — from a university
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cue — a signal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ball — a dance
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cap — a lid
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. degree — an amount
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. saw — the tool

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