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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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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: lean · stock · pit · degree · nail · mate · cold · last

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. degree — temperature
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — an amount
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stock — goods
  9. cold — an illness
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. last — to go on
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. last — finally
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stock — shares
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lean — thin
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — from a university
  22. last — final
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stock — a soup base

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