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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.

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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: race · degree · stock · suit · swing · staff · cap · bark

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. suit — in cards
  11. stock — shares
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. suit — clothes
  17. swing — to play on
  18. suit — to fit
  19. race — humankind
  20. degree — an amount
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. race — a contest

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