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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. capital — money
  3. roll — a list
  4. present — the time now
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. degree — an amount
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. present — there
  10. season — of the year
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. board — a committee
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mark — a grade
  18. degree — from a university
  19. capital — a city
  20. board — to get on
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fork — in a road
  23. present — a gift
  24. season — in 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