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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — for digging
  14. row — a line
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cell — in biology
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cell — a phone

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