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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — in sport
  4. chip — to eat
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — for betting
  14. can — a tin
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. net — for catching
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kid — child

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