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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to tire
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. staff — a stick
  6. plane — a tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. degree — an amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pit — in a race
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a hole
  20. staff — employees
  21. degree — temperature
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. plane — in geometry

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