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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: field · stock · saw · cabinet · degree · cap · firm · mouse

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stock — goods
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stock — shares
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — for sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. firm — a company
  22. field — farmland
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cap — of ice

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