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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. date — the fruit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. object — an aim
  5. degree — from a university
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bear — the animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cold — an illness
  17. object — a thing
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — to protest
  22. bear — the animal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. patient — a sick person

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