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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. firm — steady
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. firm — decided
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — of ice
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. firm — a company
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. shower — rain
  19. lie — to recline
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cap — a hat
  24. club — a group

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