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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · file · degree · calf · mate · toast · field · bulb

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. season — of the year
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — for light
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. file — a line of people
  12. field — farmland
  13. bulb — for light
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a document
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mate — to breed
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. toast — bread
  22. file — a tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for 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