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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.

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: saw · present · fall · mark · club · season · capital · degree

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mark — a grade
  3. present — the time now
  4. degree — an amount
  5. present — a gift
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — in sport
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. capital — a city
  16. present — there
  17. degree — temperature
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. club — for dancing
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fall — the season

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