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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a line
  5. clip — to cut
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. bulb — for light
  18. can — a tin
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stock — goods
  24. rash — a series

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