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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spell — letters
  4. stock — goods
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spell — magic
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — temperature
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stock — shares
  16. row — a line
  17. pass — a permit
  18. track — to keep track
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. track — a song
  21. degree — an amount
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. craft — boats

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