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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — the tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — from a university
  10. game — wild animals
  11. degree — an amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. last — final
  15. game — a match
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — finally
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. deal — to handle
  24. degree — temperature

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