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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kid — child
  6. degree — from a university
  7. spell — a short time
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. suit — clothes
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spell — letters
  16. firm — decided
  17. suit — in cards
  18. firm — steady
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spell — magic
  21. suit — to fit
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. firm — a company
  24. date — the fruit

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