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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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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: bowl · degree · season · kid · suit · saw · snap · toast

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. kid — to tease
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. degree — from a university
  6. suit — to fit
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. degree — temperature
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. suit — clothes
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. degree — an amount
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. suit — in cards

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