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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. degree — temperature
  3. race — a contest
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pop — to visit
  11. race — humankind
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mug — a cup
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pop — soda
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. racket — for tennis

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