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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — obliged
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bound — tied together
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. tube — the underground
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hand — help
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. tube — a container
  24. mouse — the animal

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