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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. can — a tin
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fall — to drop
  11. degree — from a university
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. can — a tin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — goods
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mine — belonging to me

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