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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. pound — a weight
  3. degree — an amount
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stock — goods
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stock — shares
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pound — for dogs
  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