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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hand — help
  4. track — a path
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — shares
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. hand — in cards
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — goods
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bank — of a river

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