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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. land — a country
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bore — to drill
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — ground
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bat — the animal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. degree — from a university
  24. dip — to dunk

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