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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · chest · cue · rush · date · toast · degree · object

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. toast — bread
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. date — the fruit
  9. object — an aim
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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