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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a skill
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. degree — an amount
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. net — for catching
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. can — a tin
  18. net — in sport
  19. can — to be able to
  20. degree — temperature
  21. net — after costs
  22. craft — boats
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — to tire

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