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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. object — a thing
  4. spring — of water
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spring — the season
  11. fine — all right
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fine — high quality
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. object — an aim
  16. chip — for betting
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. object — to protest
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chip — to eat
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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