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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — temperature
  7. squash — to crush
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a great time
  12. net — after costs
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mark — a grade
  16. degree — from a university
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — in sport
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mark — a trace
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — in sport
  24. cold — an illness

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