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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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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: stick · cold · rest · chair · stock · bowl · leaves · degree

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stock — shares
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — goods
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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