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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stock — goods
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. craft — boats
  13. fine — high quality
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. toast — bread
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fine — all right
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fine — a penalty

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