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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stock — goods
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a ring
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mark — a trace
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pop — to visit
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bound — certain
  13. stock — shares
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pop — music
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. band — a music group
  19. pop — soda
  20. bark — to shout
  21. degree — temperature
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. key — in music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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