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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 116 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: degree · field · pass · club · rule · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. club — for dancing
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — for golf
  7. stock — goods
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. field — for sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rule — a law
  15. field — a subject
  16. rule — government
  17. club — a group
  18. field — farmland

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