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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. drill — a practice
  3. net — in sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pass — a permit
  18. deal — to handle
  19. degree — an amount
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — army training
  22. bound — certain
  23. net — for catching
  24. sharp — clever

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