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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mark — a trace
  7. degree — an amount
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. degree — temperature
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mate — to breed
  15. drill — army training
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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