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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: snap · bore · pop · fine · ball · land · degree · saw

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fine — all right
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. degree — temperature
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pop — soda
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fine — high quality
  18. land — ground
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pop — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a great time
  23. saw — the tool
  24. snap — to click

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