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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. last — to go on
  3. bore — to drill
  4. court — for sport
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — from a university
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — shares
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. court — of a king
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stock — goods
  19. bore — to tire
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. court — of law
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — temperature

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