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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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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 · fine · degree · ground · bowl · snap · pit · cabinet

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. snap — to click
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pit — in a race
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fine — all right

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