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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pop — soda
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stock — shares
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — temperature
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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