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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
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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: degree · sharp · mouse · stock · hand · rash · nail · mine

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — goods
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stock — shares
  16. rash — a series
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. degree — temperature
  19. sharp — clever
  20. degree — from a university
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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