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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a song
  6. fine — all right
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. track — a path
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bat — the animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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