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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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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: safe · pound · pass · sharp · hand · degree · suit · last

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hand — in cards
  6. last — finally
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pass — a permit
  18. last — to go on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — help
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. suit — in cards

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