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

Word bank: degree · cue · date · band · lash · toast · perch · pass

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pass — a permit
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. perch — the fish
  7. degree — from a university
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. date — the fruit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a music group
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — temperature
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. band — a ring
  20. toast — bread
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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