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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: date · foot · roll · drill · degree · last · perch · pit

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — a cake
  13. drill — the tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — to go on
  17. roll — a list
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — finally
  20. pit — in a race
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pit — a hole
  23. last — final
  24. foot — part of the body

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