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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bound — tied together
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — obliged
  10. shower — to wash
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — temperature
  14. shower — rain
  15. degree — an amount
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — certain
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wind — moving air
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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