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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pop — soda
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pop — music
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mark — a grade
  11. kick — in football
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bear — the animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pass — a permit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. degree — an amount

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