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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: mark · pitcher · degree · swing · fan · kid · season · toast

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kid — to tease
  3. degree — temperature
  4. kid — child
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — bread
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — a trace
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — music
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mark — a grade
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — in golf
  24. season — of the year

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