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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stock — shares
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. root — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. root — of a word
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. branch — of a tree

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