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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bound — certain
  6. mug — a face
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. mug — to rob
  14. degree — an amount
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — thin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — clever
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — finally
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — the animal

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