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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: patient · game · stock · perch · degree · ground · snap · date

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stock — goods
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — the earth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — the fish
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. snap — to click
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — a position
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. game — a match
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — from a university
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. date — the fruit
  24. ground — crushed

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