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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · ground · rest · degree · sharp · current · patient · date

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ground — the earth
  4. current — electric
  5. degree — from a university
  6. date — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rest — a break
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ground — a position
  12. saw — the tool
  13. current — happening now
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rest — what's left
  16. current — of water
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ground — crushed
  24. degree — an amount

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