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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: bowl · rest · pitcher · degree · safe · jam · drill · stock

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — what's left
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — goods
  14. drill — army training
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. degree — from a university
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — an amount
  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