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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — in cards
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. present — a gift
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — there
  17. band — a music group
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chest — a box
  22. bore — to drill
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bore — to tire

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