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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. degree — an amount
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — boats
  16. kid — to tease
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — child
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rest — a break
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rest — what's left

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