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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pop — soda
  4. bat — the animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. firm — steady
  7. pop — to visit
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. firm — decided
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pop — music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. degree — an amount
  15. firm — a company
  16. stock — goods
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bound — certain
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bound — tied together
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stock — shares
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bat — in an idiom

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