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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: safe · shower · toast · object · bat · stock · bass · degree

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bat — the animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. degree — from a university
  9. object — to protest
  10. shower — rain
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bass — low music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. object — a thing
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — temperature
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. shower — to wash
  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