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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: bulb · rush · ball · season · degree · nail · rest · sharp

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ball — a great time
  5. sharp — clever
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. season — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — of the year
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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