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

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — for light
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rock — a stone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — to go on
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. last — finally
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. last — final
  22. stock — shares
  23. chip — for betting
  24. degree — from a university

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