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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: present · last · wind · sharp · current · bear · cue · degree

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. last — finally
  5. cue — for pool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. current — of water
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — a hint
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. present — a gift
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. degree — from a university
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. present — there
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. last — final
  24. degree — an amount

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