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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — for dancing
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — temperature
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — a stick
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rush — hurry
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. degree — an amount
  22. date — the fruit
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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