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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stock — shares
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rock — music
  13. spring — the season
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — the fish
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — a match
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bass — low music
  23. spring — of water
  24. vault — a safe

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