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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. degree — an amount
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stock — shares
  16. pop — to visit
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kick — in football
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — of the year
  24. kick — a thrill

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