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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. stock — goods
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. degree — an amount
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. degree — from a university
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stock — shares
  24. vault — a safe

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