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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: spell · row · degree · last · capital · stock · face · mouse

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. last — final
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. last — finally
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spell — magic
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stock — shares
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spell — letters
  20. last — to go on
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. face — to confront

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