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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. mug — a cup
  10. degree — from a university
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — in sport
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — after costs
  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