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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. degree — from a university
  4. season — in sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. craft — boats
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. toast — bread
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. squash — to crush
  16. present — the time now
  17. season — of the year
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. degree — an amount
  21. craft — a skill
  22. present — there
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. squash — the sport

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