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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stock — goods
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — a position
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stock — shares
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pit — in a race
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pit — a hole
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rock — a stone
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rock — music

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