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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: toast · date · saw · arm · degree · cabinet · fork · bear

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. degree — temperature
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — the tool
  5. date — the fruit
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. saw — the tool
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bear — the animal

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