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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. mate — to breed
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. firm — decided
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — in sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. firm — steady
  10. degree — from a university
  11. object — to protest
  12. season — of the year
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. object — an aim
  17. mate — a friend
  18. object — a thing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. firm — a company
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — to add flavour
  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