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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: mark · stick · net · kid · land · stock · last · degree

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. degree — temperature
  3. land — to come down
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — shares
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kid — child
  8. land — ground
  9. last — to go on
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. net — for catching
  14. land — a country
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — to tease
  17. net — in sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. last — final
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. net — after costs
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mark — a grade

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