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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: net · rush · fork · degree · chair · tube · bore · fine

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fork — in a road
  3. tube — a container
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bore — to drill
  14. degree — from a university
  15. net — for catching
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fine — a penalty

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