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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. rash — hasty
  4. net — for catching
  5. firm — a company
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — temperature
  13. firm — steady
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. season — in sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. file — a line of people
  18. firm — decided
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — from a university
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. file — a 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