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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: ruler · march · degree · racket · toast · stock · spring · cold

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cold — an illness
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. spring — of water
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cold — not warm
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. toast — bread
  17. stock — goods
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spring — a coil
  21. march — the month
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. march — music

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