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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cell — a phone
  7. charge — a price
  8. foot — a measure
  9. degree — from a university
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. vault — a safe
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. charge — in control
  17. net — for catching
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. net — in sport
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cell — in biology
  24. charge — electricity

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