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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · degree · stock · pit · bowl · saw · march · face

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. march — music
  6. bass — low music
  7. stock — shares
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. degree — an amount
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pit — in a race
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bass — the fish
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. degree — from a university

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