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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: ball · bulb · squash · rock · stock · kid · degree · chest

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rock — music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — goods
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — temperature
  12. kid — to tease
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — a box
  20. degree — an amount
  21. squash — the sport
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — shares

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