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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: bowl · safe · toast · fall · jam · root · stock · degree

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stock — shares
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. toast — bread
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. root — the cause
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — goods
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fall — the season
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a football final

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