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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 124 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stock — goods
  3. club — for dancing
  4. net — after costs
  5. chair — a leader
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. net — for catching
  9. stock — shares
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. net — in sport
  12. club — a group
  13. degree — temperature
  14. root — the cause
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bore — to drill
  18. degree — from a university
  19. root — of a word
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. club — for golf
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cue — for pool

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