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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. court — for sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. last — to go on
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — finally
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bore — to tire
  9. last — final
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — government
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rule — a law
  24. wave — with your hand

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