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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. track — to keep track
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. rash — a series
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. track — a song
  13. degree — an amount
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — temperature
  16. root — the cause
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — help
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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