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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bore — to drill
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. board — to get on
  15. capital — money
  16. kick — in football
  17. cap — of ice
  18. capital — a city
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bore — to tire
  22. dip — to sink
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mine — for digging

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