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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cap — a lid
  13. degree — temperature
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rock — music
  21. stock — goods
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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