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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. net — for catching
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. shower — rain
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. degree — an amount
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — to grow
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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