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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. club — for golf
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stock — goods
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to click
  12. degree — temperature
  13. root — the cause
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. root — of a word
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. club — a group
  19. stock — shares
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. degree — from a university
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. degree — an amount

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