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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mate — a partner
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rule — a law
  9. dip — to sink
  10. craft — a skill
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — an amount
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. craft — boats
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bowl — a football final

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