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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: roll · deal · bore · mate · degree · season · kid · last

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mate — to breed
  5. kid — to tease
  6. degree — an amount
  7. season — of the year
  8. roll — a list
  9. bore — to tire
  10. kid — child
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — in sport
  13. mate — a partner
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. degree — temperature
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mate — a friend
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

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