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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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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: rash · roll · firm · fork · arm · rush · date · degree

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. roll — a cake
  3. degree — an amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — a company
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. degree — from a university
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. degree — temperature
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. firm — decided
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. roll — a list
  24. firm — steady

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