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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 · chest · current · fine · object · sharp · season · rest

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chest — a box
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. object — to protest
  8. fine — high quality
  9. object — a thing
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — happening now
  15. season — of the year
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — clever
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fine — all right
  22. chest — of your body
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rest — a break

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