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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cell — in biology
  3. degree — temperature
  4. net — in sport
  5. bore — to tire
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bore — to drill
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — a short time
  12. current — electric
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — in sport
  16. current — of water
  17. spell — letters
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spell — magic
  21. cell — a phone
  22. season — of the year
  23. key — in music
  24. cell — in a prison

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