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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: wake · fine · row · stock · charge · pop · date · degree

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fine — all right
  3. degree — an amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — a trail
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pop — soda
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pop — music
  17. stock — goods
  18. row — a line
  19. fine — high quality
  20. charge — a price
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pop — to visit
  24. degree — temperature

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