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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — after costs
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. fine — all right
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — rain
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — to wash
  18. present — a gift
  19. degree — from a university
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — a supporter

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