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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. track — to keep track
  5. club — for dancing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — to protest
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. track — a song
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pop — soda
  15. track — a path
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. club — for golf
  21. degree — an amount
  22. club — a group
  23. wake — a trail
  24. degree — from a university

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