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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — for dancing
  3. net — for catching
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kick — in football
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. sharp — clever
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. staff — employees
  24. dip — to sink

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