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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mate — a friend
  7. degree — from a university
  8. row — a line
  9. season — of the year
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — temperature
  12. season — in sport
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in biology
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mug — a face
  24. racket — a loud noise

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