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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. content — the amount
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. can — a tin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. scale — size or range
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. scale — in music
  20. content — happy
  21. rest — a break
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. scale — for weighing

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