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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 120 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. degree — from a university
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — shares
  5. degree — temperature
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rash — hasty
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cap — a hat
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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