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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bat — the animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mate — to breed
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — from a university
  15. branch — a division
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mate — a partner
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. bore — gave birth

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