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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. straw — dry grass

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