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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · net · degree · patient · deal · sharp · bark · key

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. charge — a price
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bark — to shout
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. charge — in control
  11. degree — temperature
  12. key — the most important part
  13. degree — from a university
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — for catching
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. net — in sport

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