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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. last — final
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. last — finally
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. object — a thing
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ball — a dance
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. object — an aim
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — to go on
  21. object — to protest
  22. degree — temperature
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. patient — a sick person

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