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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. firm — steady
  4. net — for catching
  5. stock — shares
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. net — after costs
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stock — goods
  11. degree — temperature
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — in sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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