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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tube — a container
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pit — a hole
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — the underground
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tube — in a tire

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