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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fine — all right
  8. kick — in football
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — of the year
  15. bass — the fish
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. current — electric
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bass — low music
  22. current — of water
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. degree — an amount

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