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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. object — an aim
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. degree — temperature
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — goods
  11. degree — an amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. object — a thing
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. kid — to tease
  17. object — to protest
  18. kid — child
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wake — a trail

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