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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 120 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: degree · mate · mine · firm · bulb · saw · cue · season

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. season — in sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. firm — a company
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. firm — steady
  9. mine — for digging
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. firm — decided
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cue — for pool
  22. season — of the year
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mate — a friend

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