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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: cold · toast · mouse · degree · leaves · game · can · bear

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bear — the animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. toast — bread
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. can — a tin
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. degree — from a university
  24. can — a tin

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