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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 · pass · net · bark · roll · safe · deal · ball

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ball — a dance
  6. degree — from a university
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — temperature
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. net — for catching
  21. bark — to shout
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — in sport

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