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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pass — a permit
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — of the year
  7. pop — to visit
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pop — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pop — soda
  24. rush — 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