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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — to bend
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lean — thin
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — a position
  12. stock — goods
  13. ground — the earth
  14. degree — temperature
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ground — crushed
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — shares
  24. foot — the bottom

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