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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: hand · stock · temple · degree · ground · arm · firm · cabinet

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — a company
  4. stock — shares
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. firm — steady
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. firm — decided
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — in cards

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