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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
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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: ball · deal · last · nail · safe · mate · march · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — a friend
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ball — a dance
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mate — to breed
  14. degree — temperature
  15. deal — to handle
  16. last — finally
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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