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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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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: date · rule · wave · pit · stock · nail · kid · present

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. present — there
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. kid — child
  6. present — a gift
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stock — goods
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pit — in a race
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rule — a law
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. rule — government
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — shares
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. present — the time now
  23. kid — to tease
  24. date — on the calendar

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