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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. present — a gift
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. game — a match
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. present — the time now
  14. degree — from a university
  15. present — there
  16. stock — goods
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — a face
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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