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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bank — for money
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. last — final
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rock — music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. last — to go on
  20. bank — of a river
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. degree — an amount
  23. last — finally
  24. pitch — completely

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