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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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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 · snap · degree · net · club · mine · kid · cue

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — a group
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. net — in sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kid — child
  9. key — in music
  10. club — for golf
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cue — a signal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — to tease
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — for catching
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cue — a hint
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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