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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: pound · degree · key · stock · cap · wind · firm · chair

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cap — a hat
  5. key — the most important part
  6. firm — a company
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stock — shares
  10. firm — steady
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wind — moving air
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cap — a lid
  18. key — in music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — moving air
  21. firm — decided
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stock — goods
  24. chair — a professorship

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