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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. scale — size or range
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. degree — an amount
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. scale — in music
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. degree — temperature
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mug — a cup
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mate — a friend
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — finally
  24. mug — a face

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