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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — of the year
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. degree — an amount
  24. calf — a young animal

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