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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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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: bat · bore · degree · mate · lash · season · fall · bay

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. season — in sport

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