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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. degree — an amount
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stock — shares
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stock — goods
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. degree — temperature
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. racket — for tennis

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