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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: pit · bat · last · bore · degree · rock · game · tear

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. last — final
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. last — finally
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. game — a match
  18. bore — to tire
  19. last — to go on
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rock — music
  24. bat — the 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