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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 · nail · bound · cue · race · wave · degree · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cue — a hint
  3. race — humankind
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — the arms race
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — a contest
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. stock — shares
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cue — a signal
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cue — for pool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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