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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: last · degree · prune · stock · ball · kid · current · key

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — shares
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — the most important part
  7. degree — temperature
  8. last — to go on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. last — final
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stock — goods
  19. last — finally
  20. current — happening now
  21. degree — an amount
  22. key — in music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — child

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