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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rule — government
  9. season — of the year
  10. scale — in music
  11. rule — a law
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bass — low music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — in sport
  19. degree — an amount
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bore — to drill
  23. snap — to click
  24. bat — in an idiom

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