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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
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: sharp · racket · stock · craft · degree · net · wave · straw

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. net — for catching
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — from a university
  5. craft — a skill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — in sport
  9. craft — boats
  10. sharp — clever
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stock — shares
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. net — after costs
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. sharp — with an edge

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