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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: net · dip · game · cold · season · staff · bay · bore

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. net — after costs
  4. season — of the year
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. net — in sport
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. game — a match
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bore — to drill
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cold — not warm

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