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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bore — to drill
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pop — to visit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pop — music
  20. drill — army training
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cold — the Cold War

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