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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 124 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — in sport
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fine — all right
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. net — after costs
  24. mouse — the animal

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