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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. degree — from a university
  3. suit — to fit
  4. stock — shares
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. court — of law
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. pound — a weight
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stock — goods
  14. court — of a king
  15. suit — in cards
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. last — finally
  21. suit — clothes
  22. court — for sport
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rest — what's left

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