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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: degree · roll · ball · hide · can · bat · bore · sharp

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. degree — from a university
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bore — to drill
  19. degree — an amount
  20. roll — a list
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ball — a dance
  24. hide — to keep secret

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