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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pop — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mug — to rob
  10. degree — an amount
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. degree — temperature
  15. net — in sport
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. swing — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pop — soda
  20. mug — a face
  21. stock — goods
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. degree — from a university

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