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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. season — in sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. staff — employees
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. season — of the year
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bass — low music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rock — a stone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — employees
  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