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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: mug · rest · shower · last · fork · foot · degree · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — to wash
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rest — a break
  7. last — final
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — rain
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fork — in a road
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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