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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. fine — all right
  10. land — ground
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bulb — for light
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mark — a trace
  20. file — a tool
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — to pay attention

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