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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. suit — clothes
  7. spring — of water
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — a practice
  11. net — for catching
  12. suit — in cards
  13. rock — a stone
  14. degree — temperature
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — army training
  21. rock — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. net — in sport

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