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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — a path
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. track — a song
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — to keep track

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