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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. net — after costs
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ground — a position
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. degree — an amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. net — for catching
  15. kid — child
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. staff — employees
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. staff — employees

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