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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: march · degree · date · pass · toast · kick · bowl · leaves

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — in football
  12. degree — from a university
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. march — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. march — the month
  20. date — the fruit
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bowl — to roll

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