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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: dip · can · stock · coach · degree · sharp · pop · net

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — to be able to
  6. dip — to sink
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pop — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — goods
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — a tin
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pop — to visit
  18. net — after costs
  19. stock — shares
  20. pop — soda
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — for catching
  24. stock — a soup base

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