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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. degree — an amount
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mug — a cup
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mug — to rob
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — a series
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. board — a committee
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. drill — the tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rash — hasty

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