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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: pitcher · key · rock · tear · stock · mine · degree · mate

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tear — from crying
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — a friend
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — to rip
  24. key — in music

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