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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. season — in sport
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. row — to paddle
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — an amount
  12. sharp — clever
  13. season — of the year
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. vault — a safe
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — from a university
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. season — to add flavour

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