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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — hasty
  9. tube — a container
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stock — shares
  12. tube — the underground
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — a series
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. degree — temperature
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — rain
  24. stock — goods

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