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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. toast — bread
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. key — in music
  4. suit — clothes
  5. degree — temperature
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — in sport
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hand — help
  20. suit — in cards
  21. key — for a lock
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. season — of the year
  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