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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ball — a great time
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. march — music
  16. cue — a hint
  17. track — a song
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bear — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cue — a signal
  23. track — a path
  24. rest — a break

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