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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: rest · key · craft · deal · stock · ball · degree · tear

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rest — a break
  4. stock — goods
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. craft — boats
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. ball — a great time
  11. key — the most important part
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — shares
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — from crying
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. degree — temperature
  19. tear — to rip
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. key — in music

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