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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 124 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. band — a ring
  8. net — in sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. dip — to sink
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. scale — size or range
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stock — shares
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. band — a music group
  19. stock — goods
  20. snap — to click
  21. degree — temperature
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. net — for catching

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