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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. snap — to click
  5. degree — from a university
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ground — the earth
  11. game — a match
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ground — a position
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — an amount

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