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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. root — the cause
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stock — shares
  11. row — a line
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. track — a song
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. root — of a word
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. row — to paddle
  24. track — a path

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