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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stock — goods
  4. degree — temperature
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spring — a coil
  9. degree — an amount
  10. track — a path
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. bass — the fish
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. face — to point toward
  18. press — to push
  19. stock — shares
  20. press — newspapers
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a song
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bass — low music

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