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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — to breed
  3. content — happy
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cue — for pool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cue — a signal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cue — a hint
  14. shower — rain
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — temperature
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. date — the fruit
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mate — a partner
  22. shower — to wash
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — an amount

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