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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. object — to protest
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. object — a thing
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. object — an aim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. charge — a price
  12. game — a match
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wax — to grow
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. charge — in control
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. game — a kind of play

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