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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fine — high quality
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bear — the animal
  7. toast — bread
  8. degree — temperature
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — from a university
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — all right
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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