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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: bat · cabinet · mate · net · club · bear · degree · calf

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. net — in sport
  5. club — for dancing
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. net — after costs
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — for catching
  17. bear — the animal
  18. club — a group
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bear — to put up with

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