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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rest — a break
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. sharp — clever
  6. degree — an amount
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rest — what's left
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stand — to bear
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — a group
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. rush — to hurry

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