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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stock — goods
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — clever
  14. race — humankind
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. present — the time now
  17. branch — a division
  18. degree — from a university
  19. race — a contest
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stock — shares
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. branch — of a tree

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