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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. club — a group
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. club — for golf
  6. band — a ring
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pitch — completely
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stock — goods
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. band — a music group
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stock — a soup base

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