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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. net — after costs
  2. row — to paddle
  3. ball — a dance
  4. degree — temperature
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pop — music
  7. mark — a grade
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kid — to tease
  14. row — a line
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — soda
  18. net — for catching
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mark — a trace
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. net — in sport
  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