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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. land — a country
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rock — a stone
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. date — the fruit
  9. roll — a list
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wax — to grow
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. roll — a cake
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. land — to come down
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. land — ground
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kick — in football
  23. rock — music
  24. deal — an agreement

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