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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. degree — an amount
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mate — a friend
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. content — the amount
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. board — to get on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mate — to breed
  21. toast — bread
  22. deal — to handle
  23. content — happy
  24. pass — to succeed

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