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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. track — a song
  3. capital — money
  4. degree — an amount
  5. capital — a city
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. track — a path
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — temperature
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — the fruit

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