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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — the time now
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. present — there
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mate — a friend
  16. degree — temperature
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mate — to breed
  23. present — a gift
  24. degree — from a university

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