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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. date — the fruit
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chip — to eat
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. degree — an amount

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