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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. degree — an amount
  5. row — to paddle
  6. degree — from a university
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. track — a song
  11. row — a line
  12. stock — goods
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. craft — a skill
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stock — shares
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rock — music
  20. craft — boats
  21. track — a path
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stand — on your feet

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