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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: bay · coach · rash · spell · march · bore · mate · degree

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — a partner
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — from a university
  6. march — the month
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bore — to drill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. march — the month
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rash — a series
  20. bore — to tire
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. march — music

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