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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: wake · degree · arm · pass · sharp · saw · last · mate

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. last — to go on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mate — a partner
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mate — to breed
  10. last — finally
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pass — a permit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. last — final
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. arm — a part of something
  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