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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. sharp — exactly
  3. bass — low music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rule — government
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — happening now
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. sharp — clever
  14. current — of water
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — electric
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  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