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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rash — a series
  3. spring — of water
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bore — to drill
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — for sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. march — the month
  14. bore — to tire
  15. march — the month
  16. lie — to recline
  17. march — music
  18. field — a subject
  19. degree — an amount
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fine — high quality

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