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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — of the year
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. season — in sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stock — shares
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ground — the earth
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — a position
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pit — in a race
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. ground — crushed
  23. foot — a measure
  24. degree — temperature

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