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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pit — in a race
  8. degree — from a university
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. deal — to handle
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. season — in sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — shares
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. bore — to drill
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bore — to 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