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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. date — the fruit
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. degree — from a university
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ground — a position
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. scale — in music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. degree — temperature

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