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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bound — certain
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. degree — an amount
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. foot — a measure
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bound — obliged

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