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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — in football
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rush — hurry
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spell — letters
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spell — magic
  19. fine — all right
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rush — a thrill

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