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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — an amount
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. net — after costs
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — in sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — a supporter

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