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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. drill — army training
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — from a university
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. net — for catching
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — in sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a ring
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. net — after costs
  17. mate — to breed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. drill — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. band — a music group
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — a friend

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