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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. stock — goods
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. saw — the tool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. saw — the tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ground — a position
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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