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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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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: rock · bore · degree · pit · spell · bat · bank · rest

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rest — a break
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spell — a short time
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spell — magic
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rest — what's left

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