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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. degree — an amount
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bound — obliged
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bound — certain
  12. pass — a permit
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — tied together
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — temperature
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — a match
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — wild animals

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