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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. fine — all right
  3. dip — to sink
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. deal — to handle
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — for catching
  10. fine — high quality
  11. net — in sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. degree — an amount
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. perch — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bowl — a dish
  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