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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. degree — temperature
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. degree — from a university
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rush — hurry
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. branch — a division
  21. craft — boats
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. land — to come down
  24. suit — in cards

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