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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: nail · toast · degree · track · chip · stock · last · rock

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. degree — temperature
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. track — a song
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — finally
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. track — a path
  11. rock — a stone
  12. last — to go on
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. rock — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. track — to keep track
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. toast — bread
  20. last — final
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. chip — to eat
  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