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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: chip · hand · cap · court · plane · degree · stock · pit

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cap — a lid
  7. court — of law
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. cap — a hat
  11. court — of a king
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chip — to eat
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pit — a hole
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — from a university
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. court — for sport
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stock — shares
  23. pit — in a race
  24. hand — in cards

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