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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. capital — a city
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. degree — from a university
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — the animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. capital — money
  24. degree — temperature

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