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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: cell · stock · jam · sharp · racket · degree · file · deal

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. file — a document
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stock — goods
  11. degree — temperature
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. deal — to handle
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. file — a tool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cell — in biology
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stock — shares
  23. cell — a phone
  24. deal — an agreement

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