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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mark — a trace
  11. track — a song
  12. net — for catching
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bass — low music
  15. track — a path
  16. face — part of the head
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mark — a grade
  22. face — to point toward
  23. degree — temperature
  24. face — to confront

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