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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rule — government
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — for sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. can — to be able to
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rule — a law
  17. field — a subject
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. branch — a division

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