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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. chip — to eat
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pound — a weight
  9. chip — for betting
  10. drill — army training
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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