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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — for betting
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fall — the season
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fall — to drop
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. net — in sport
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wound — an injury
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pass — a permit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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