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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. scale — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ground — crushed
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bound — certain
  8. staff — a stick
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fine — high quality
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bound — obliged
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ground — a position
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fine — all right
  20. sharp — clever
  21. staff — employees
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. staff — employees
  24. dip — to sink

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