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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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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: deal · content · cue · stock · pound · rash · degree · lash

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stock — shares
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cue — a signal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pound — a weight
  9. degree — from a university
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stock — goods
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rash — on the skin

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