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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. track — a path
  5. band — a music group
  6. staff — employees
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. band — a ring
  12. degree — from a university
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. track — a song
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — size or range
  19. sharp — clever
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. degree — temperature
  23. track — to keep track
  24. scale — in music

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