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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 120 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: fan · net · ball · stick · degree · bowl · mug · cap

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ball — a great time
  5. net — after costs
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. net — for catching
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mug — a face
  24. bowl — a football final

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