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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: swing · track · cap · degree · cabinet · stock · game · court

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. cap — of ice
  5. degree — temperature
  6. swing — music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. game — a match
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — from a university
  12. swing — in golf
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. track — a path
  15. stock — goods
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. court — of a king
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — of law
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — wild animals

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