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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 · drill · mine · pit · rock · mouse · lie · fork

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. degree — from a university

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