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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: object · degree · safe · nail · drill · court · mate · sharp

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. drill — the tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — to breed
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. court — of a king
  15. degree — temperature
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. sharp — clever
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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