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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mug — a cup
  4. drill — a practice
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bore — to drill
  15. game — a match
  16. mug — a face
  17. chair — a leader
  18. degree — from a university
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bore — to tire
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. trunk — of a car

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