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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. clip — for paper
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mate — a friend
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — a video
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. degree — an amount
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — for catching

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