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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. degree — an amount
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. craft — boats
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mark — a trace
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stock — shares
  20. mark — a grade
  21. craft — a skill
  22. stock — goods
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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