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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 · season · stand · mouse · current · content · game · degree

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — from a university
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — a match
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — happy
  19. current — electric
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — the amount
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. current — of water
  24. degree — an amount

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