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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 116 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: stock · chip · deal · degree · cabinet · last · pop · rock

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. last — to go on
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — finally
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rock — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stock — goods
  18. pop — soda
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — final
  22. chip — to eat
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chip — in a computer

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