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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mate — a partner
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. land — ground
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — temperature
  15. key — in music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. land — to come down
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bulb — for light
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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