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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a signal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pit — a hole
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — in a race
  22. drill — a practice
  23. march — music
  24. drill — army training

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