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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. toast — bread
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — in sport
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. net — after costs
  8. degree — temperature
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. suit — clothes
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. drill — army training
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chip — for betting
  21. season — of the year
  22. suit — in cards
  23. net — for catching
  24. suit — to fit

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