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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. degree — an amount
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fine — all right
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. charge — electricity
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. swing — to play on
  16. toast — bread
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. fine — high quality
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. land — a country
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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