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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tube — a container
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pass — a permit
  14. suit — to fit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. suit — clothes
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to sink
  23. tube — the underground
  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