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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — from a university
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stock — shares
  6. pop — soda
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — music
  10. degree — an amount
  11. can — to be able to
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — to visit
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — goods
  17. stand — to bear
  18. can — a tin
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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