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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bass — the fish
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stock — goods
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. squash — to crush
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stock — shares
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bass — low music
  21. squash — the sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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