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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · degree · pit · court · stand · tear · stock · current

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. court — for sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. court — of law
  5. current — happening now
  6. degree — temperature
  7. tear — from crying
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. current — electric
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. degree — an amount
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. degree — from a university
  16. court — of a king
  17. stock — shares
  18. current — of water
  19. stock — goods
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. scale — in music
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stand — for spectators

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