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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bore — to tire
  6. season — of the year
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kid — child
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. season — in sport
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stock — shares
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. leaves — to go away

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