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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bore — to drill
  3. land — to come down
  4. hand — help
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pass — a permit
  7. root — of a word
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rock — music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. root — the cause
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rock — a stone
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. hand — in cards

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