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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: mouse · degree · rock · club · ground · hand · sharp · kid

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rock — a stone
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kid — child
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — help
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rock — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. club — a group
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mouse — for a computer

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