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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · wake · bear · mine · degree · rule · shower · pitch

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — a law
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rule — government
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. shower — to wash
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — rain

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