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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: degree · saw · snap · toast · last · bulb · sharp · tube

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. last — final
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bulb — for light
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. degree — temperature
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tube — a container
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — finally
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — the underground
  20. degree — from a university
  21. snap — to click
  22. toast — bread
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. last — to go on

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