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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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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — of law
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spring — of water
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — music
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. court — of a king

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