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

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bore — to tire
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rash — a series
  10. hand — in cards
  11. degree — temperature
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bore — to drill
  14. club — for dancing
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rash — hasty
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — for spectators

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