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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 · chip · mate · shower · degree · arm · saw · mine

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. mug — a face
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chip — to eat
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mug — to rob
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. saw — the tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mug — a cup
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mine — for digging
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. arm — part of the body
  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