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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · pit · degree · row · season · can

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pit — in a race
  4. degree — temperature
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. can — to be able to
  8. row — a line
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — in sport
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. can — a tin
  13. degree — an amount
  14. row — to paddle
  15. season — of the year
  16. can — a tin
  17. pit — a hole
  18. saw — the tool

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