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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 120 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: stock · degree · kick · bowl · kid · ball · press · bear

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. stock — goods
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kid — child
  19. press — to push
  20. ball — a dance
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kick — in football

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