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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bank — of a river
  6. degree — an amount
  7. net — after costs
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bank — for money
  10. present — a gift
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. drill — a practice
  13. net — for catching
  14. present — there
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. drill — army training
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — a weight
  22. present — the time now
  23. net — in sport
  24. drill — the tool

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