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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. net — after costs
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — for catching
  5. degree — an amount
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. net — in sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. nail — on a finger

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