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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · key · stock · degree · foot · chip · can · field

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stock — shares
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — a subject
  13. foot — a measure
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. key — for a lock
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — to eat
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — for sport
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bay — a horse colour

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