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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. degree — an amount
  3. face — part of the head
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — to come from
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. face — to point toward
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cue — for pool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — goods
  19. cue — a hint
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — a stem cell

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