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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: stock · mug · wind · bowl · rash · lie · present · degree

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. lie — to recline
  24. present — a gift

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