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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — from a university
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stock — goods
  15. face — to confront
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stock — shares
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stock — a soup base

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