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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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. degree — an amount
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — the season
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fall — to drop
  11. swing — music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. chest — a box
  22. game — a match
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fall — to drop

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