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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. dip — to sink
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — from a university
  7. staff — a stick
  8. object — a thing
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. staff — employees
  12. bear — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tear — to rip
  18. can — a tin
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — from crying
  24. can — a tin

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