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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. degree — from a university
  4. net — after costs
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. net — for catching
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bass — low music
  21. staff — employees
  22. bass — the fish
  23. net — in sport
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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