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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. net — in sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — after costs
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mark — a trace
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — for catching
  24. mine — an explosive

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