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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rest — a break
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fine — all right
  13. bore — to drill
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. face — to confront
  19. bore — to tire
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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