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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. saw — the tool
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bass — the fish
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. toast — bread
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — help
  20. season — in sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. season — of the year

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