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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — after costs
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stock — shares
  15. net — for catching
  16. degree — temperature
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. leaves — lets stay

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