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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 116 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: mark · prune · net · object · rush · ground · degree · game

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — an aim
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ground — the earth
  5. degree — temperature
  6. game — a match
  7. net — for catching
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mark — a trace
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mark — a grade
  17. degree — an amount
  18. object — a thing
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ground — a position
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. game — wild animals
  23. prune — to trim
  24. object — to protest

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