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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — goods
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pop — to visit
  11. season — of the year
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stock — shares
  17. pop — soda
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. season — in sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kick — in football
  23. pop — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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