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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. dip — to sink
  6. last — finally
  7. court — of a king
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. last — to go on
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. last — final
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. deal — to handle

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