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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. degree — from a university
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lie — to recline
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. charge — in control
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ground — a position
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. march — the month
  23. date — the fruit
  24. charge — a price

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