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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: deal · lean · saw · present · fan · degree · mate · sharp

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — the time now
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lean — to bend
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lean — thin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mate — a friend
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. present — a gift
  17. deal — to handle
  18. sharp — clever
  19. present — there
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. saw — the tool

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