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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — to breed
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pass — a permit
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — a friend
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mate — a partner
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. season — in sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. season — of the year
  24. rock — music

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