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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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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 · bay · degree · ruler · bat · net · spring · race

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. race — humankind
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. net — for catching
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. spring — of water
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spring — a coil
  12. net — after costs
  13. degree — an amount
  14. net — in sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. race — a contest
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bay — a horse colour

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