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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. degree — an amount
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. ground — a position
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mark — a grade
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — in sport
  17. ground — the earth
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. degree — temperature
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. date — on the calendar

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