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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.

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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. net — after costs
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ground — the earth

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