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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: craft · game · cold · foot · rest · track · season · degree

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cold — not warm
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rest — a break
  7. season — in sport
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — a match
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — from a university
  12. track — a song
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — wild animals
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. degree — temperature
  18. craft — a skill
  19. track — a path
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. degree — an amount
  22. track — to keep track
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. craft — boats

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