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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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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 · face · stock · pop · can · pit · jam · key

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pop — to visit
  6. key — in music
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pit — in a race
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. face — to confront
  20. stock — goods
  21. pit — a hole
  22. stock — shares
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. degree — temperature

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