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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fine — all right
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. clip — a video
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rush — hurry
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — for paper
  18. net — for catching
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. net — in sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. net — after costs
  23. rock — music
  24. fine — high quality

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