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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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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: snap · pound · shower · season · object · pit · stock · degree

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. object — a thing
  3. pound — a weight
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. shower — to wash
  10. object — an aim
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to click
  13. season — in sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. degree — temperature
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. object — to protest
  22. stock — goods
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. shower — rain

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