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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: tube · club · rash · stick · stock · cold · racket · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rash — a series
  3. tube — a container
  4. degree — an amount
  5. club — for golf
  6. stock — goods
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — hasty
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — an illness
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. club — a group
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — shares

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