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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: bound · bass · date · stock · land · mate · pass · degree

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. bound — certain
  2. mate — a partner
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — tied together
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stock — shares
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — obliged
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — a country
  20. bass — low music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. pass — to succeed
  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