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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. degree — an amount
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — shares
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. kick — in football
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — a stone
  19. row — a line
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. degree — from a university
  22. last — final
  23. present — there
  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