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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 124 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: field · dip · degree · land · stock · suit · perch · chip

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. land — ground
  3. suit — in cards
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chip — to eat
  6. land — a country
  7. stock — shares
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. suit — to fit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — to come down
  16. field — a subject
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. perch — the fish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stock — goods
  22. suit — clothes
  23. field — farmland
  24. chip — for betting

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