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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tube — a container
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lean — thin
  11. mark — a grade
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. season — of the year
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lean — to bend
  21. toast — bread
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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