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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wake — a trail
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bore — to drill
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pit — in a race
  18. last — finally
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. board — a committee
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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