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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. dip — to sink
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. scale — in music
  8. rock — music
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stock — shares
  11. ball — a great time
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rash — a series
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stock — goods
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stock — a soup base

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