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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bore — to drill
  5. suit — to fit
  6. tube — a container
  7. net — for catching
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lie — to recline
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — after costs
  14. suit — in cards
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — in sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — a coil
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spring — the season
  23. tube — in a tire
  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