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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. degree — temperature
  3. season — of the year
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — to cool the air

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