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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. spell — magic
  6. mark — a trace
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — a short time
  12. sharp — clever
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — letters
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rule — a law
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rule — government
  24. sharp — exactly

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