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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: ruler · snap · arm · hand · march · mark · degree · date

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. snap — to click
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — from a university
  5. march — the month
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hand — in cards
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. date — the fruit
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — a grade
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. march — the month
  24. arm — a part of something

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