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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: degree · date · sharp · tear · stick · land · squash · racket

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — to rip
  5. date — the fruit
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. squash — the sport
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — to crush
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — temperature
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — an amount
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. sharp — with an edge

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