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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. season — in sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. ground — a position
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stand — to bear
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. season — of the year
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ground — crushed

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