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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stock — shares
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bass — the fish
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stock — goods
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bass — low music
  24. degree — temperature

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