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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 120 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: plane · rash · stock · degree · lie · game · deal · content

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. degree — from a university
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. degree — an amount
  8. deal — to handle
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — temperature
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — the amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. game — a match
  17. content — happy
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rash — hasty
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stock — shares

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