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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — a hole
  3. season — in sport
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. degree — an amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — of the year
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. staff — a stick

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