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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
468
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: date · stock · degree · ball · arm · object · mate · wave

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stock — goods
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — from a university
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. object — a thing
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. ball — a great time
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — an aim

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