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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. kid — child
  12. mug — a face
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — of the year
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stand — to bear
  21. season — in sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kid — to tease

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