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

Word bank: hide · pit · toast · roll · degree · firm · date · tear

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — decided
  4. roll — a cake
  5. firm — steady
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a list
  8. toast — bread
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. firm — a company
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tear — to rip

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