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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: file · bore · mark · season · foot · tear · degree · pop

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pop — music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. file — a document
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — to visit
  17. file — a tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. foot — a measure
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mark — a trace
  24. degree — an amount

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