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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. firm — decided
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — of ice
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fine — high quality
  10. degree — from a university
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — all right
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — a hat
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cap — a lid

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