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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tear — to rip
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. degree — temperature
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — all right
  13. degree — from a university
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — final
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — in music
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. season — in sport
  21. fork — in a road
  22. degree — an amount
  23. toast — bread
  24. season — of the year

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