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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: bore · fork · present · mate · track · object · last · degree

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — an amount
  5. object — an aim
  6. last — final
  7. track — a path
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. present — there
  11. mate — a friend
  12. present — a gift
  13. degree — from a university
  14. track — a song
  15. object — a thing
  16. degree — temperature
  17. last — to go on
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. object — to protest
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bore — to drill
  24. present — the time now

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