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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. tear — to rip
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. key — in music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a line
  11. key — for a lock
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mate — a partner
  15. saw — the tool
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. key — the most important part
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mate — to breed
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mate — a friend

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