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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: pound · stick · club · degree · craft · net · ball · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ground — a position
  6. club — for golf
  7. degree — from a university
  8. net — for catching
  9. club — a group
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — in sport
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — crushed
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ball — a great time
  23. degree — temperature
  24. net — after costs

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