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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. field — farmland
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rule — a law
  5. field — for sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — all right
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fall — the season
  17. pass — a permit
  18. field — a subject
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rule — government
  23. date — the fruit
  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