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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. root — the cause
  7. degree — an amount
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. degree — from a university
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. kick — in football
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bat — the animal
  20. root — of a plant
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. press — a publisher
  23. root — of a word
  24. patient — a sick person

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