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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: suit · cell · tube · cold · row · bore · ball · degree

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a dance
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cold — an illness
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cold — not warm
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a great time
  15. tube — the underground
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. row — a line
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — a phone

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