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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · wound · mate · bay · season · cabinet · kid · degree

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. firm — decided
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. firm — steady
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. season — in sport
  12. kid — child
  13. mate — a partner
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. degree — from a university
  17. season — of the year
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. firm — a company
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mate — a friend

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