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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — in cards
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — from a university
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mark — a grade
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mark — a trace
  18. key — in music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — to drill

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