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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stock — shares
  4. craft — a skill
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rest — a break
  7. degree — an amount
  8. game — wild animals
  9. craft — boats
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stock — goods
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mate — a partner
  24. game — a match

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