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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — army training
  14. bore — to tire
  15. land — a country
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. land — ground
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bat — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bulb — for light

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