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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. game — a match
  3. present — the time now
  4. fine — high quality
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. net — after costs
  7. fine — all right
  8. ground — a position
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. net — for catching
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ground — the earth
  19. present — there
  20. ground — crushed
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — an amount
  24. net — in sport

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