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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
468
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: lie · pop · degree · shower · craft · date · track · stick

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pop — soda
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. track — a path
  8. pop — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — boats
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — temperature
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lie — to recline
  19. track — a song
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. craft — a skill
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. degree — from a university

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