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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. degree — from a university
  3. club — for golf
  4. mug — a cup
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — in sport
  13. club — a group
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pit — in a race
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mug — a face
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. net — after costs

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