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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cold — an illness
  3. last — finally
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — for catching
  7. suit — clothes
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. net — after costs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. suit — to fit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — from a university
  22. net — in sport
  23. suit — in cards
  24. date — the fruit

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