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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — moving air
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. net — after costs
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bound — tied together
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kick — in football
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bound — certain
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — in sport
  23. branch — a division
  24. degree — temperature

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