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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — farmland
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stock — goods
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cue — for pool
  17. firm — a company
  18. mark — a grade
  19. field — for sport
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. field — a subject

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