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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bass · ball · land · degree · rock · cabinet · content

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — music
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. land — a country
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. content — happy
  13. net — for catching
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. degree — an amount
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — after costs
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — ground
  23. content — the amount
  24. ball — a great time

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