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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — soda
  3. stock — shares
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stock — goods
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. present — the time now
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pop — music
  12. toast — bread
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. present — a gift
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. face — to point toward
  24. present — there

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