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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bore — to drill
  12. court — of a king
  13. row — a line
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — a tin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. can — to be able to

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