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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. degree — temperature
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. date — the fruit
  10. tube — a container
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — the underground
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. drill — army training
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chip — for betting
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. degree — from a university
  24. drill — the tool

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