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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pop — to visit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mate — a partner
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pop — soda
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. can — a tin
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. can — to be able to
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stand — to bear
  22. degree — from a university
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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