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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: stock · clip · sharp · present · degree · scale · key · board

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. key — in music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. present — a gift
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. present — the time now
  11. sharp — clever
  12. degree — from a university
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. key — for a lock
  16. clip — to cut
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. degree — an amount
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. present — there
  22. clip — a video
  23. key — the most important part
  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