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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pit — in a race
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pit — a hole
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — from a university

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