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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stock — shares
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. net — for catching
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. net — after costs
  18. cap — of ice
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. net — in sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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