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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stock — shares
  6. rest — a break
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mug — a cup
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stock — goods
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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