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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rash — a series
  5. root — the cause
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a cup
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. degree — temperature
  11. file — a tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mug — to rob
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rash — hasty
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mug — a face
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. file — a line of people

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