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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: pop · degree · net · pound · hide · snap · pass · game

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — in sport
  3. pop — music
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. game — a match
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. net — for catching
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to click
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. net — after costs
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pass — a permit
  24. game — wild animals

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