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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: mark · hand · mine · present · degree · rule · scale · bore

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — for digging
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hand — in cards
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. present — there
  14. hand — help
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rule — government
  22. scale — in music
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — an amount

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