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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bore — to tire
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bank — for money
  5. season — of the year
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — in sport
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bank — for money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a round shape

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