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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stock — shares
  4. charge — a price
  5. plane — a tool
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rule — a law
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — in control
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rule — government
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. charge — electricity
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. degree — from a university

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