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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 · mate · jam · march · degree · row · bat · kick

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mate — to breed
  13. kick — in football
  14. march — music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mug — a face
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — from a university

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