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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. court — for sport
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bound — certain
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — an explosive

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