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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. present — the time now
  7. root — of a word
  8. game — a match
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. season — in sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. game — wild animals
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — a gift
  18. toast — bread
  19. present — there
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. root — the cause

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