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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — a short time
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. dip — to sink
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rest — a break
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spell — letters
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — magic
  19. sharp — clever
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — temperature

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