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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. object — an aim
  5. swing — music
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. object — to protest
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to drill
  14. object — a thing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stock — shares
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fan — to cool the air

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