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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. degree — temperature
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pop — music
  5. race — humankind
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — of the year
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pop — to visit
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. staff — a stick

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