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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kick — in football
  3. toast — bread
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bear — the animal
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. season — in sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. degree — temperature
  18. season — of the year
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bank — of a river

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