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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
468
Word bank
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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — from a university
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — an amount

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