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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: key · degree · dip · nail · fall · cell · net · season

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. key — in music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — for a lock
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. key — the most important part
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — in sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. net — for catching
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fall — the season
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. degree — from a university

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