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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stock — shares
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stock — goods
  9. spell — magic
  10. rock — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cap — a lid
  16. scale — in music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spell — letters
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. dip — to sink
  21. degree — temperature
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. snap — to click
  24. degree — an amount

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