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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kick — in football
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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