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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — shares
  4. pop — soda
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mug — a face
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stock — goods
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — all right
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cap — of ice

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