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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: degree · cabinet · last · bore · foot · saw · court · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. court — of law
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bore — to tire
  15. last — finally
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. degree — temperature
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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