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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. march — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stock — goods
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stock — shares
  8. land — a country
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pop — soda
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. degree — from a university
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — to come down
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. land — ground
  24. chip — in a computer

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