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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cue — for pool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — temperature
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cue — a signal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. craft — a skill
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. craft — boats
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. degree — an amount
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. branch — a division
  19. scale — in music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wind — moving air
  22. sharp — clever
  23. deal — to handle
  24. degree — from a university

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