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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: chair · foot · can · date · hand · degree · roll · fan

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. roll — a list
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hand — help
  6. degree — an amount
  7. date — the fruit
  8. can — a tin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — to be able to
  14. degree — from a university
  15. foot — a measure
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. degree — temperature

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