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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — goods
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — shares
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in biology
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mate — a friend
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rash — a series

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