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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stock — shares
  4. ground — crushed
  5. can — to be able to
  6. degree — an amount
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stock — goods
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ground — a position
  16. tube — the underground
  17. can — a tin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — the earth
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fork — to eat with

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