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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — of the year
  6. bore — to drill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to tire
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rule — government
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. vault — a safe
  17. degree — an amount
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. row — a line
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. degree — from a university

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