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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: court · season · squash · mate · chip · degree · date · nail

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mate — to breed
  4. court — of a king
  5. chip — for betting
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. squash — to crush
  10. season — in sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mate — a friend
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chip — to eat
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. date — on the calendar

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