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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. roll — a list
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — the season
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stock — goods
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. degree — from a university

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