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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. stock — shares
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pop — soda
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bore — to tire
  11. season — of the year
  12. bore — to drill
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stock — goods
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fork — in a road
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. season — in sport
  23. pop — music
  24. degree — temperature

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