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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. cap — of ice
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spell — letters
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stock — goods
  13. cap — a lid
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. object — an aim
  17. stock — shares
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ball — a great time
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stem — to come from

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