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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: scale · net · arm · game · degree · stock · stick · mug

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. degree — temperature
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mug — a face
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — in music
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. game — wild animals
  16. net — in sport
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stock — shares
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. net — after costs
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — size or range

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