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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — for money
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tear — to rip
  9. charge — electricity
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — goods
  12. charge — a price
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. charge — in control
  20. fall — to drop
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fall — the season
  24. season — of the year

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