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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stock — shares
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stock — goods
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bore — to drill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bore — to tire
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. degree — temperature

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