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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. season — of the year
  3. degree — temperature
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mine — for digging
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bore — to tire
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bore — to drill
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. degree — from a university
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mine — belonging to me

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