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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. present — a gift
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. court — for sport
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. present — the time now
  9. degree — an amount
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. bore — to drill
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bat — the animal
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bore — to tire
  22. present — there
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bat — for baseball

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