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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · bulb · tube · date · degree · bat · arm · pass

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. tube — the underground
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. bulb — for light
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bat — for baseball

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