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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. ground — the earth
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. game — a match
  13. stock — goods
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — to recline
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ground — crushed

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