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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. degree — temperature
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. staff — a stick
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rash — hasty
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. net — in sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. capital — a city
  18. stock — goods
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. capital — money
  21. foot — a measure
  22. staff — employees
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mouse — for a computer

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