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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — the month
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. degree — an amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. date — the fruit
  20. ground — a position
  21. hand — help
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. march — music
  24. bowl — a football final

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