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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cap — a hat
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pass — a permit
  9. season — of the year
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bore — to tire
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — in sport
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. land — ground
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ball — a dance
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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