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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bass — low music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stock — goods
  9. bass — the fish
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — of water
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mark — a grade
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — shares
  24. mark — to pay attention

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