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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · pit · degree · mouse · cue · mark · spring · date

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cue — a signal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pit — in a race
  7. spring — the season
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cue — for pool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. land — to come down
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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