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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: season · calf · mate · court · plane · mark · degree · bore

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bore — to tire
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mate — to breed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bore — to drill
  12. season — of the year
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — in sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. court — of a king
  20. mate — a friend
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. degree — temperature

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