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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. board — to get on
  12. stock — shares
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — a division
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pass — to spend time

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