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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. net — for catching
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cell — in biology
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rush — hurry
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. degree — from a university

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