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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. snap — to click
  8. degree — from a university
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. degree — an amount
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cue — a signal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. sharp — clever
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ground — a position

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