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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — an amount
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. toast — bread
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — a committee
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spring — of water
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — a coil

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