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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: tear · key · degree · date · hide · game · stock · dip

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. degree — from a university
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. game — a match
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — shares
  18. dip — to sink
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — from crying
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stock — goods

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