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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bank — of a river
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rock — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — a path
  10. stock — shares
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — for a lock
  16. track — a song
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. stock — goods

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