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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 120 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: ground · bowl · march · pass · calf · pitcher · bore · degree

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ground — the earth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pass — a permit
  24. calf — a young animal

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