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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. swing — music
  3. bore — to drill
  4. net — in sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. degree — an amount
  10. net — for catching
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. swing — to play on
  13. degree — temperature
  14. swing — in golf
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fan — to cool the air

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