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

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — of the year
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. degree — an amount

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