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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · ground · tube · firm · sharp · saw · degree · fine

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. ground — a position
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fine — all right
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mate — to breed
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tube — a container
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. firm — a company
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tube — the underground
  19. firm — steady
  20. ground — crushed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. sharp — with an edge

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