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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mate — a partner
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rash — a series
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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