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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bore — to drill
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rest — a break
  9. rule — a law
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rule — government
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. degree — from a university
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. squash — to crush

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