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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mark — a trace
  5. net — after costs
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lean — thin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — in music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wind — moving air

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