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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pass — a permit
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. kick — in football
  16. degree — an amount
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kick — a thrill

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