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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. degree — an amount
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. row — a line
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. present — there
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — to visit
  11. deal — to handle
  12. present — the time now
  13. staff — employees
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pop — soda
  19. row — to paddle
  20. present — a gift
  21. staff — a stick
  22. degree — temperature
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pop — music

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