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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. row — to paddle
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. suit — clothes
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. row — a line
  9. degree — an amount
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. degree — temperature
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mark — a grade
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a music group
  24. degree — from a university

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