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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mug — a face
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — in sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fall — the season
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — a container
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mug — a cup
  23. season — of the year
  24. tube — in a tire

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