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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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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: hand · degree · clip · pit · suit · sharp · fine · staff

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. suit — in cards
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fine — all right
  14. hand — help
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. staff — employees
  18. pit — in a race
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fine — high quality
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — in cards
  24. sharp — clever

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