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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: stock · degree · temple · mouse · bowl · tear · deal · present

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. present — a gift
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. present — the time now
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. degree — temperature
  15. present — there
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stock — goods
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. temple — a place of worship

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