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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stock — goods
  13. lean — thin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stock — shares
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. lean — to bend

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