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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. swing — music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pass — a permit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rush — hurry
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. degree — from a university
  21. swing — in golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. swing — to play on

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