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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: ball · sharp · degree · mate · firm · fine · date · march

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mate — a partner
  3. firm — a company
  4. mate — a friend
  5. march — music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. march — the month
  9. firm — decided
  10. ball — a dance
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a great time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fine — all right
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fine — high quality
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. firm — steady
  23. mate — to breed
  24. sharp — exactly

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