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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — after costs
  3. root — the cause
  4. net — for catching
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pop — soda
  7. degree — an amount
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. net — in sport
  10. vault — a safe
  11. object — to protest
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pop — music
  16. scale — in music
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. object — a thing
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. object — an aim
  24. trunk — of a car

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