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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: calf · season · degree · sharp · press · last · fall · stock

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. last — final
  5. stock — goods
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. last — to go on
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. last — finally
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — in sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — from a university
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. press — to push
  24. season — to add flavour

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