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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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. craft — a skill
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pass — a permit
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. craft — boats
  15. band — a music group
  16. net — in sport
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. saw — the tool
  21. degree — from a university
  22. band — a ring
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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