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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — in music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — of your body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. degree — from a university
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  24. leaves — lets stay

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