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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rule — a law
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rule — government
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. degree — an amount
  17. net — for catching
  18. kick — in football
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ruler — for measuring

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