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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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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: swing · rest · mate · degree · cell · present · safe · pitcher

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — in biology
  6. present — there
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rest — what's left
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a partner
  13. degree — an amount
  14. present — the time now
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. present — a gift
  17. degree — from a university
  18. swing — to play on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — music
  22. rest — a break
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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