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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — an amount
  3. suit — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. drill — a practice
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. suit — clothes
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cue — a signal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. drill — the tool
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cue — for pool
  21. suit — to fit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. leaves — to go away

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