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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. mug — a cup
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. race — a contest
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a line
  9. race — humankind
  10. mug — to rob
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — the arms race
  14. degree — temperature
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mug — a face
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. degree — from a university
  23. toast — bread
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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