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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. net — in sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bore — to drill

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