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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bark — to shout
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stock — shares
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cap — of ice
  24. leaves — to go away

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