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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · degree · board · fork · season · tear

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — of the year
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. tear — to rip
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. degree — temperature
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — in sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee

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