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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fine — all right
  8. clip — for paper
  9. track — a path
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lie — to recline
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. current — of water
  17. track — a song
  18. bore — to drill
  19. current — electric
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fine — high quality
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — happening now
  24. fork — to eat with

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