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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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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ground — the earth
  3. degree — an amount
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. net — in sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — the tool
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ground — crushed
  11. net — after costs
  12. degree — from a university
  13. saw — the tool
  14. degree — temperature
  15. shower — rain
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  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