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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: object · spring · track · degree · swing · bat · mark · mate

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spring — of water
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. track — a song
  12. object — an aim
  13. mark — a grade
  14. swing — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — from a university
  18. object — a thing
  19. mark — a trace
  20. track — a path
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. swing — to play on
  23. object — to protest
  24. spring — a coil

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