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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. game — wild animals
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stock — shares
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. degree — from a university
  15. key — the most important part
  16. net — in sport
  17. stem — to come from
  18. net — for catching
  19. key — in music
  20. net — after costs
  21. stock — goods
  22. game — a match
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bulb — for light

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