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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. present — the time now
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — after costs
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spring — of water
  10. present — there
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. present — a gift
  15. bulb — for light
  16. net — in sport
  17. craft — boats
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. degree — from a university
  24. net — for catching

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