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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 116 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 like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — a law
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — goods
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ball — a great time
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rule — government
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rush — a thrill

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