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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stock — goods
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. track — a song
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stock — shares
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — a path
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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