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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.

Make a worksheet

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: degree · rash · bowl · bore · mug · ground · fork · arm

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mug — to rob
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mug — a face
  8. ground — crushed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bore — to tire
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rash — a series
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fork — in a road

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