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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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 — goods
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wake — a trail
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — in a race
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. ground — the earth
  13. charge — a price
  14. pit — a hole
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — a position
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stock — shares
  20. sharp — clever
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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