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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. net — after costs
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — in sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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