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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: chest · stock · bowl · degree · pound · toast · clip · safe

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. toast — bread
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stock — shares
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stock — goods
  21. degree — from a university
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pound — a weight

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