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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.

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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. court — of law
  3. bore — to drill
  4. court — for sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me

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