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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spell — magic
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. net — in sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. net — for catching
  8. object — to protest
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. object — a thing
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. degree — from a university
  16. object — an aim
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mate — a partner
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bear — the animal

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