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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stem — to come from
  3. club — for golf
  4. roll — a list
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. club — for dancing
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rock — a stone
  9. net — for catching
  10. rock — music
  11. club — a group
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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