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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. craft — a skill
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. degree — temperature
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. degree — an amount
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. root — of a word
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pass — a permit
  20. root — the cause
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. craft — boats
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. deal — a big deal

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