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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. game — wild animals
  3. toast — bread
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. season — of the year
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stock — goods
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — shares
  19. game — a match
  20. rash — hasty
  21. season — in sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — the fish

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