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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: degree · cold · stock · safe · bore · sharp · wave · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stock — goods
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cap — a lid
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cold — an illness
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bore — to tire
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wave — of the sea

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