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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. race — a contest
  5. net — after costs
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — from a university
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — help
  15. branch — a division
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — for catching
  22. race — humankind
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — the arms race

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