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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 120 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitch — completely
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mug — a face
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mug — to rob
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitch — a sports field

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