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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bore — to tire
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — completely
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. saw — the tool
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cap — a hat
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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