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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: degree · toast · snap · sharp · net · wind · bass · pit

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. degree — temperature
  3. snap — to click
  4. net — after costs
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. degree — an amount
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. degree — from a university
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — in a race
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. net — for catching
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. net — in sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pit — a hole
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wind — moving air

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