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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 124 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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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: mug · rush · board · mine · degree · mate · last · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. board — to get on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — finally
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mug — to rob
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — for digging
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. degree — an amount
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. last — final
  24. mug — a cup

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