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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mug — to rob
  4. track — a song
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mate — to breed
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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