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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — temperature
  3. can — to be able to
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. can — a tin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — a tin

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