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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. degree — from a university
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rest — a break
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stock — goods

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