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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rock — music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rock — a stone
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — an amount
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. suit — to fit
  24. leaves — of a tree

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