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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — a subject
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mark — a trace
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mine — for digging
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. degree — an amount
  19. field — for sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. field — farmland
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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