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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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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: deal · kick · mouse · stock · march · degree

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — goods
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. degree — temperature
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. march — the month
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. degree — from a university
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mouse — the animal

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