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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stock — shares
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. degree — temperature
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chip — for betting
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. stock — goods
  21. band — a music group
  22. bear — the animal
  23. swing — to play on
  24. band — a ring

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