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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: mug · fan · date · arm · bear · degree · scale · pass

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — to rob
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. scale — in music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pass — a permit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — size or range

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