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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bass — low music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. land — ground
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. capital — money
  18. land — a country
  19. capital — a city
  20. land — to come down
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. stock — shares
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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