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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bound — certain
  7. band — a music group
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. band — a ring
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fan — a supporter
  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