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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · squash · ground · foot · pass · degree · date · ball

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. ground — crushed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. foot — a measure
  8. current — of water
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. current — electric
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. squash — the sport
  14. current — happening now
  15. squash — to crush
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. degree — temperature
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ground — a position
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — the earth

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