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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. kick — in football
  5. board — to get on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — in music
  10. capital — money
  11. wake — a trail
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. board — a committee
  14. root — the cause
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. root — of a word
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. root — of a plant

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