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

Word bank: suit · bore · chest · pit · cell · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bore — to tire
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pit — in a race

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