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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. firm — a company
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rash — a series
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. firm — steady
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — hasty
  23. firm — decided
  24. degree — from a university

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