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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stock — shares
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — to crush
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — in sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. degree — temperature
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. net — after costs
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stock — goods
  24. wave — with your hand

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