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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
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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: firm · cap · lie · lash · rash · date · degree · tube

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. firm — decided
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. firm — steady
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rash — a series
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. firm — a company
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tube — a container
  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