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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. degree — from a university
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — a break
  20. kid — child
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bore — to tire
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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