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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fine — all right
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mark — a trace
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — a line

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