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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: net · racket · sharp · drill · pop · mine · nail · degree

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. net — for catching
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pop — soda
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pop — to visit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. net — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. racket — a loud noise

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