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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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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: bass · degree · pop · racket · foot · mark · stock · calf

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. foot — a measure
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pop — music
  15. stock — goods
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stock — shares
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pop — soda
  20. bass — the fish
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. degree — an amount
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mark — a grade

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