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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. court — of law
  8. bore — to drill
  9. deal — to handle
  10. court — of a king
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. clip — for paper
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — for sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. clip — to cut
  22. degree — from a university
  23. clip — a video
  24. ruler — for measuring

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