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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rock — music
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bass — low music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — the fish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rock — a stone
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. degree — an amount
  22. last — to go on
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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