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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: bore · bass · snap · court · fan · mouse · degree · foot

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bore — to tire
  3. snap — to click
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. degree — an amount
  9. court — of a king
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. court — of law
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bass — low music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. court — for sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bore — to drill

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