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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pit — a hole
  4. season — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. cold — an illness
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — low music
  9. bore — to tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pit — in a race
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. net — in sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fine — all right
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tube — in a tire

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