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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: bear · calf · sharp · bass · cue · stock · degree · straw

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. sharp — clever
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cue — a signal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stock — shares
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. degree — temperature
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bass — the fish

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