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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — of a plant
  4. degree — temperature
  5. land — ground
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. last — final
  8. root — of a word
  9. last — to go on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. last — finally
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — a country
  21. date — the fruit
  22. root — the cause
  23. land — to come down
  24. degree — an amount

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