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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. squash — the sport
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — to grow
  10. squash — to crush
  11. present — the time now
  12. mug — to rob
  13. degree — from a university
  14. last — final
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — there
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — goods
  24. last — to go on

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