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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. rest — a break
  11. ball — a dance
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — temperature
  15. spell — magic
  16. stock — goods
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rest — what's left
  19. deal — to handle
  20. branch — a division
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. ball — a great time

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