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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bound — certain
  6. cap — a hat
  7. swing — in golf
  8. degree — temperature
  9. present — there
  10. bore — to drill
  11. swing — music
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bore — to tire
  21. present — the time now
  22. degree — an amount
  23. present — a gift
  24. drill — army training

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