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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. stock — shares
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. court — of law
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — to paddle
  12. band — a music group
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. row — a line
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bound — obliged
  23. band — a ring
  24. degree — an amount

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