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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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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: firm · pound · stock · court · rule · degree · bear · chip

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. firm — a company
  3. court — for sport
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. firm — steady
  11. rule — a law
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rule — government
  14. stock — goods
  15. firm — decided
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stock — shares
  19. court — of law
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pound — a weight
  23. court — of a king
  24. bear — to put up with

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