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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. degree — temperature
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — after costs
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. date — the fruit
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — in sport
  18. rule — government
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. staff — employees
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. staff — employees

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