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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: pass · mate · degree · squash · fan · wake · saw · racket

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pass — a permit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — the tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mate — a friend
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. saw — the tool
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mate — to breed

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