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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pit — in a race
  11. march — the month
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. march — the month
  14. current — of water
  15. sharp — clever
  16. current — happening now
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. march — music
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. current — electric

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