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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. last — to go on
  4. can — to be able to
  5. date — the fruit
  6. land — to come down
  7. capital — a city
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — a country
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — from a university
  12. land — ground
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — final
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rush — hurry
  23. last — finally
  24. date — on the calendar

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