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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: fan · mug · bowl · degree · firm · rush · cell · date

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. firm — decided
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — an amount
  9. firm — steady
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mug — a face
  24. firm — a company

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