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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pop — to visit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pop — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. can — to be able to
  16. degree — from a university
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — soda
  24. bore — to drill

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