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

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mug — a cup
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — to rob
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a list
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mug — a face
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bear — the animal

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