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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. object — to protest
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — in cards
  7. object — a thing
  8. rash — a series
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. object — an aim
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — from a university
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. rash — hasty
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bat — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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