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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. suit — to fit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. net — for catching
  6. club — for golf
  7. suit — in cards
  8. court — of law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. court — for sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pass — a permit
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. suit — clothes
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. court — of a king
  23. degree — temperature
  24. net — after costs

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