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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pit — a hole
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mug — a face
  9. degree — temperature
  10. row — a line
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. row — to paddle
  16. drill — army training
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mug — to rob
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mouse — the animal

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