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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pop — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rest — what's left
  11. swing — to play on
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — soda
  15. kid — to tease
  16. can — to be able to
  17. swing — music
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kid — child
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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