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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.

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: mate · season · toast · track · date · degree · chest · coach

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — a box
  3. track — a path
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. date — the fruit
  12. toast — bread
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. track — a song
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chest — of your body

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