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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ground — a position
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — a match
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stock — shares
  10. mark — a trace
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. degree — from a university
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. game — wild animals
  24. nail — on a finger

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