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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. roll — a cake
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stock — goods
  5. degree — temperature
  6. roll — a list
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rule — government
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rule — a law
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rule — to rule out

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