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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. degree — temperature
  4. last — to go on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. last — final
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. capital — money
  14. squash — to crush
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. last — finally
  17. wax — to grow
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — in the ear

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