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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. track — a path
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — from a university
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. degree — temperature
  12. track — to keep track
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. degree — an amount
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — a song
  24. date — the fruit

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