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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: date · rest · net · pit · court · club · root · degree

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rest — what's left
  3. date — the fruit
  4. court — for sport
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. root — of a plant
  8. court — of a king
  9. degree — from a university
  10. net — after costs
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pit — in a race
  13. club — for dancing
  14. court — of law
  15. pit — a hole
  16. club — for golf
  17. root — the cause
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. club — a group
  23. rest — a break
  24. root — of a word

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