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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. date — the fruit
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. charge — a price
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mine — for digging
  10. degree — from a university
  11. root — of a word
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — the cause
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. charge — in control
  19. degree — an amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pop — music
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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