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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spell — letters
  3. content — the amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — completely
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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