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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · degree · bore · cell · kid · pass

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kid — child
  18. degree — temperature

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