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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — for catching
  6. object — to protest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — a thing
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tube — the underground
  12. charge — a price
  13. fall — the season
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. object — an aim
  16. stock — goods
  17. charge — electricity
  18. degree — an amount
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — in control

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