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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cap — of ice
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cap — a lid
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rush — hurry
  23. degree — an amount
  24. deal — a big deal

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