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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rest — what's left
  3. date — the fruit
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rest — a break
  6. bore — to tire
  7. degree — temperature
  8. present — a gift
  9. degree — from a university
  10. present — there
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. present — the time now
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — to grow
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — on the calendar

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