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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chair · toast · pitcher · plane · spring · degree · cold

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. spring — the season
  11. cold — an illness
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chair — a leader
  16. toast — bread
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spring — of water
  20. cold — not warm
  21. degree — from a university
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bore — to tire

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