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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: arm · degree · foot · rash · date · pass · net · rest

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — after costs
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. degree — from a university
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. degree — an amount
  10. net — for catching
  11. rest — what's left
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — in sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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