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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: net · trunk · sharp · pop · degree · dip · safe · press

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. press — to push
  5. degree — temperature
  6. net — for catching
  7. press — newspapers
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — music
  11. net — after costs
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pop — soda
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — in sport
  16. press — a publisher
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. degree — an amount
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. safe — out of danger

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