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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. degree — from a university
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — a price
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — electricity
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. charge — in control
  19. row — a line
  20. mine — for digging
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rush — to hurry

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