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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: clip · degree · bowl · foot · fan · toast · bear · season

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. degree — temperature
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. season — of the year
  7. clip — a video
  8. degree — an amount
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — for paper
  12. foot — a measure
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. season — in sport
  24. bowl — a football final

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