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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kick — in football
  3. degree — temperature
  4. clip — a video
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. key — in music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. net — in sport
  13. press — to push
  14. degree — an amount
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. clip — for paper
  22. press — a publisher
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. net — after costs

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