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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · snap · patient · stock · pit · ruler · bowl · tear

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. stock — goods
  3. snap — to click
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — temperature
  7. tear — from crying
  8. degree — from a university
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pit — a hole
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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