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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rash — hasty
  7. file — a document
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rash — a series
  11. current — happening now
  12. degree — temperature
  13. net — for catching
  14. current — electric
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. current — of water
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. degree — an amount

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