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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — an amount
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bore — to drill
  6. clip — a video
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. swing — music
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. dip — to sink
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. roll — a list
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. roll — a cake
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. degree — temperature
  23. dip — a sauce
  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