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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bore — to drill
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. vault — a safe
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ground — a position
  17. degree — temperature
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  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