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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. root — of a plant
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. scale — in music
  17. fine — all right
  18. degree — from a university
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. scale — size or range
  22. root — the cause
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. root — of a word

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