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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — shares
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. craft — a skill
  15. row — a line
  16. bank — for money
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — goods
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bank — of a river
  23. craft — boats
  24. chest — of your body

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