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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. board — to get on
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lean — thin
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. stock — shares
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — an amount
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stock — goods
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. sharp — with an edge

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