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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mate — to breed
  3. craft — boats
  4. bass — low music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. drill — army training
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pit — in a race
  24. craft — a skill

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