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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 120 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: sharp · trunk · rest · race · degree · rash · stock · deal

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rash — a series
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — clever
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. race — the arms race
  12. degree — from a university
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stock — goods
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. deal — to handle
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rash — hasty
  24. degree — temperature

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