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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. key — the most important part
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. saw — the tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bat — the animal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rush — hurry
  20. foot — a measure
  21. key — in music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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