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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — from a university
  8. saw — the tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. craft — boats
  11. fine — high quality
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. craft — a skill
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a friend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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