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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: degree · safe · sharp · bay · game · last · pit · band

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. last — finally
  8. band — a music group
  9. game — wild animals
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. degree — from a university
  12. sharp — clever
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. last — to go on
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. game — a match
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. last — final
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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