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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: net · nail · chair · bore · roll · ground · dip · degree

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. net — for catching
  3. roll — a cake
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. degree — from a university
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. roll — a list
  13. ground — crushed
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. ground — the earth
  16. degree — an amount
  17. net — after costs
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bore — to tire
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chair — a leader

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