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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. mug — to rob
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mug — a face
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — temperature
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — to be able to
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mug — a cup
  23. row — a line
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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