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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. degree — from a university
  9. can — to be able to
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — help
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pound — a weight
  22. net — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. prune — to trim

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