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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — there
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. tube — the underground
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. present — a gift
  10. stock — goods
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rule — government
  14. degree — from a university
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. degree — temperature
  18. tube — a container
  19. present — the time now
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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