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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — temperature
  3. last — to go on
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. last — final
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — goods
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — of the year
  21. last — finally
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. degree — an amount

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