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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rest — what's left
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wake — a trail
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cap — a lid
  12. degree — an amount
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rest — a break
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cap — a hat
  21. saw — the tool
  22. toast — bread
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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