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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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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: bore · degree · dip · lie · fan · mark · ball · race

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bore — to drill
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mark — a grade
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. race — a contest
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lie — an untruth

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