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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mate — a partner
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fine — all right
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mate — a friend
  12. clip — to cut
  13. charge — in control
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. net — for catching
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. net — after costs
  22. charge — a price
  23. staff — employees
  24. clip — a video

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