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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. court — for sport
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chest — a box
  19. degree — an amount
  20. court — of law
  21. degree — from a university
  22. court — of a king
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bore — to tire

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