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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: bulb · stock · clip · rest · degree · snap · bowl · ruler

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. degree — temperature
  7. snap — to click
  8. clip — a video
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stock — shares
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rest — what's left
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — goods
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — a break
  21. degree — an amount
  22. clip — to cut
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bulb — for light

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