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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. swing — in golf
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chair — a leader
  7. deal — to handle
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. swing — to play on
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. degree — from a university
  15. craft — boats
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. sharp — clever
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. degree — an amount

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