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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ground — the earth
  3. net — in sport
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ground — crushed
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. press — to push
  9. key — for a lock
  10. degree — an amount
  11. net — for catching
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — a publisher
  16. charge — in control
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — a position
  20. key — in music
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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