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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: sharp · roll · leaves · spell · chest · squash · mark · degree

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — magic
  3. mark — a grade
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. roll — a list
  13. chest — a box
  14. squash — the sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spell — letters
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — temperature

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