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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: key · mate · ground · degree · ball · stick · saw · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mate — to breed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — after costs
  5. mate — a friend
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. net — for catching
  12. mate — a partner
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. key — in music
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ground — the earth

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