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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: season · mug · field · degree · mate · wind · temple · scale

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mate — a partner
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. degree — from a university
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. mug — a face
  15. degree — an amount
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — a subject
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. scale — in music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. season — of the year
  24. mate — to breed

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