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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. stock — shares
  5. current — of water
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — letters
  15. current — happening now
  16. stock — goods
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. current — electric
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. spell — magic
  24. fall — the season

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