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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — a path
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bore — to tire
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. track — a song
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — to drill
  19. hand — help
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. degree — from a university
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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