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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — in music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fork — in a road
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rock — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. clip — to cut
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stock — shares
  11. scale — size or range
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. face — to confront
  15. root — of a plant
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stock — goods
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. face — to point toward
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — a garden tool

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