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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. craft — boats
  4. sharp — clever
  5. march — music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. craft — a skill
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. charge — in control
  16. tube — the underground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. tube — a container

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