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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mate — a friend
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. firm — a company
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. firm — decided
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — a partner
  22. firm — steady
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cap — of ice

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