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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. game — a match
  4. club — for golf
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — wild animals
  9. face — part of the head
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. club — for dancing
  14. degree — an amount
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — from a university
  18. club — a group
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — temperature
  23. scale — size or range
  24. face — to confront

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