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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. perch — the fish
  9. suit — in cards
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — hurry
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. degree — temperature

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