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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. degree — from a university
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fall — to drop
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. scale — in music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pound — a weight

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