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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. dip — to sink
  3. degree — from a university
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. field — for sport
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. field — a subject
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — farmland
  11. bore — to tire
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — low music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — temperature
  20. row — a line
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bore — to drill

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