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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — the earth
  3. degree — temperature
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bound — certain
  8. spell — a short time
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. snap — to click
  11. ground — crushed
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ground — a position
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — obliged
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bound — tied together

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