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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. file — a tool
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a line of people
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. file — a document
  21. club — for dancing
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stock — goods
  24. bound — certain

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