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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bass — the fish
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stock — goods
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ground — a position
  20. degree — an amount
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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