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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 120 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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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: march · key · mate · bulb · race · degree · mug · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mate — a friend
  3. key — for a lock
  4. degree — an amount
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mug — to rob
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. race — humankind
  12. key — in music
  13. mate — to breed
  14. race — a contest
  15. mug — a cup
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mug — a face
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bulb — for light
  24. march — the month

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