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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. drill — the tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. drill — army training
  5. degree — an amount
  6. drill — a practice
  7. root — of a word
  8. rule — government
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. can — to be able to
  13. degree — from a university
  14. root — of a plant
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. root — the cause
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pound — a weight
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — a law
  24. wind — moving air

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