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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bore — to drill
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — temperature
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. chair — a leader
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bass — the fish
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bass — low music
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. drill — army training
  17. track — to keep track
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. track — a path
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. charge — a price

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