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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: stock · straw · scale · bay · degree · arm · foot · cap

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stock — goods
  3. degree — temperature
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. foot — a measure
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cap — a hat
  11. degree — an amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. scale — size or range
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cap — of ice
  17. scale — in music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stock — shares
  24. cap — a lid

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