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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bound — obliged
  5. season — of the year
  6. roll — a list
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bound — tied together
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bound — certain
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. row — to paddle

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