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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fork — in a road
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — from a university
  9. drill — army training
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — in music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. scale — size or range
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pit — a hole
  19. drill — a practice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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