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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: game · mug · suit · key · stem · stock · degree · arm

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — wild animals
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stock — shares
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. suit — in cards
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. suit — clothes
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. degree — temperature
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — a face

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