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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 124 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cold — not warm
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. face — part of the head
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bowl — a dish

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