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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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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: cap · firm · ball · hand · bat · degree · can · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hand — in cards
  4. firm — steady
  5. stock — shares
  6. firm — decided
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a lid
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. firm — a company
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cap — of ice
  15. can — a tin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — from a university
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — help
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bat — the animal

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