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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fine — all right
  3. mug — to rob
  4. degree — an amount
  5. present — a gift
  6. court — for sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mug — a face
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fine — high quality
  12. net — in sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. present — there
  15. net — for catching
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rush — hurry
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — after costs
  24. present — the time now

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