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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: toast · cap · jam · rash · date · present · current · degree

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. present — a gift
  4. cap — a lid
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. date — the fruit
  8. current — of water
  9. cap — of ice
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — the time now
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rash — hasty
  15. present — there
  16. rash — a series
  17. current — electric
  18. cap — a hat
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. degree — temperature
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rash — on the skin

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