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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — clever
  4. root — of a word
  5. game — wild animals
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. root — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — temperature
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mate — a partner
  20. game — a match
  21. wax — to grow
  22. root — the cause
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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